Arch support for footwear



April 8 1924. 1,489,845

G. MULLER ARCH SUPPORT FOR FOOTWEAR Filed April [5, 1923 f4 7 4 A? WIKNESS I 7 mum/r01? 650/?6 M [/LL'ER & p Br ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,489,845 PATENT OFFICE.Y

enonc ivLtrLLEa, or BERLIN, GERMANY, AssIeNon To B. BEIRSDORZE & CO.,,I1\TG., or NEW YORK, Y., ACORPORATION or NEW YORK.

ARCH SUPPORT FOR FOOTWEAR.

Application filed April 3, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnone MtiLLnR, a citizen of Germany, and resident of Berlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Arch Supports for Footwear, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices to be worn inside shoes for the purpose of supporting the arch of the foot, to correct a tendency toward a fallen arch, and to exercise the foot muscles automatically by the very walk of the wearer, in such a manner as to strengthen them and to restore the foot to its normal condition, if the arch has begun to yield. The object of my invention is to provide a very simple, light, and efficient device of this character, readily placed in position and having its parts connected with each other securely. At the same time, my present invention avoids certain detrimental eflects, and particularly a'tendency to bend the foot lengthwise, which are found in arch supports as generally constructed.

Without intending to restrict myself to the particular details illustrated, I have shown a satisfactory and preferred embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. I is a bottom view of the arch support in connection with a leather insole to which it is attached; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 2-2 of 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation; and Fig. 4: is a plan view of the blank from which the supporting spring is made. The drawing shows an arch support for the left foot.

This preferred embodiment will now be described in detail, and the novel features of my invention will. then be pointed out in the appended claims.

The improved support comprises a plate 10 of well-known general character, fash ioned to conform to the shape of a normal r arch and-usually made of'metal, for instance of steel, preferably nickeled to pre vent rusting. This plate 10 may be riveted or otherwise secured to an insole 11, but such insole may be omitted, if desired. In asmuch asa normal foot, has a pronouned longitudinal, arch along the inner edge of the foot, while the outer edge in its entire length rests on its supporting surface, there is a half-arch. as it were, in a transverse 5 direction, and of course the plate 10 angle of about 30.

Serial No. 629,741.

formed correspondingly. Thus Fig. 3 shows the outer edge of said plate in contact with the sole 12 of the shoe, while the inner edge of the plate 10, at the summit of the longitudinal arch of the foot,rises to a relatively considerable distance from said sole 12.. At this point, a strong transverse supporting spring is secured to the lower side of the plate 10, so that when the appliance is slipped into a shoe, this spring will lie between the plate 10 and the shoe sole "12, as shown in Fig. 3. The spring is preferably bent from a single piece of suitableimetal, for instance steel (nickeledto prevent rusting) of the shape illustrated in Fig.4. Here the spring comprises a body portion 13 adapted to lie against the plate 10 and perforated rounded lugs 14 are/provided at each side of such body portion, to receive the rivets '15 by which the'spring is secured to said plate; Atthe ends of the body'portion, wherethe lugs 14.- extend therefrom, I provide notches '16 which enable the blank (which is originally flat) to be more readily bent at thesepoints, and also to insure greater flexibility and a more reliable spring action. One end portion 17 of the blank is relatively long, the other end portion 18 being relatively short. The three portions .13, 17, 18 of the blank are originally in longitudinal alignment with each other. When the blank has been bent into operative shape to form the spring shown best in Fig. '2, the long end portion 17 is substantially horizontal and is adapted to lie on top of the shoe sole 12. while the body portion 13 will be inclined at an Preferably this end portion or member 17 widens gradually toward its free end, the latter being about twice as wide as the root or hinge portion of said member. This will distribute the weight of the foot and of the body on a larger surface, and will therefore be less liable to cut or otherwise injure the sole 12.

The short end portion or member 18 forms an elasticbrace inclined transversely and engaging. with its free end, the upper surface of the horizontalor base member 17. It will be understood that as the wearer walks, his weight will at times rest on the arch support and then again be'removed therefrom as he puts down his other foot, and that such change of pressure will cause the free end of the brace member 18 to slide toward and from the free end of the base member 17.

An important feature resides in the arrangement of the spring to flex in a trans verse plane, tending to, raise and restore the inner edge of the foot to a proper arch shape, while exerting practically no action on the outer edge of the foot, at which the fulcrum 19 of the spring action is located. It will also be noted that there is no longitudinal spring action or flexure, and this is a valuable feature since such longitudinal flexure, while it might have a pleasant effeet or at least no detrimental effect on a strong sound foot, would be highly injurious to a foot which has developed to a tendency to a fallen arch (fiatfoot), in which weakened or diseased condition the foot tends to rock or bend inwardly about a longitudinal axis lying at the outer edge of the foot. My invention counteracts this tendency effectively, builds up again the strength of the weakened muscles by the massagelike action which the supporting spring exerts at each step, and correct-s any inward bending of the feet (and knock-kneed condition) which may have resulted from unattended weakness of the feet.

The free end of the base member 17 is preferably bent upward slightly, as indicated at 20, to prevent such end from digging into the shoe sole 12. The free end of the brace member 18 is also bent upwardly (toward the body portion 13) for the purpose of enabling it to slide more readily along the base member 17, and to prevent scraping or scratching of said base member, or a sticking or jamming of the brace member thereon. The ends of said members 17 and 18 are also preferably rounded to assist these purposes.

It will further be noted that the rivets 15 which secure the supporting spring to the plate 10, pass through lugs 14: located laterally of the body portion 13, so that the latter is not perforated, thus preserving its full strength.

Vhile I prefer to attach the supporting spring to a plate 10 located above such spring, still such plate might be omitted, and the transverse supporting spring of the construction shown, secured within the shoe loosely or permanently in any suitable manner. This modification and others may be made without departing from the nature of my invention. as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim 1. An arch support for footwear, comprising a supporting spring having a substantially horizontal base member, an inclined body portion one end of which has a spring hinge connection with that end of the base member which is adapted to lie near the outer edge of the foot, and an inclined brace having a spring hinge connection with the free end of said body portion, said brace extending toward the spring hinge connection of the base member and having a free end arranged to slide on said base member toward and from the spring hinge connection thereof.

2. An arch support for footwear, compris ing a supporting spring having a base member, an inclined body portion having a spring connection with said base member, and a brace having a spring connection with the free end of said body portion, said brace being inclined in the same direction as the body portion, but at a greater angle with the base member, said brace being located between the base member and the body portion, and the free end of the brace being in sliding engagement with the base member and adapted to move longitudinally thereof.

3. An arch support for footwear, comprising a supporting spring having a base member, an inclined body portion having a spring connection with said base member, and a brace having a spring connection with the free end of said body portion, said brace being inclined in the same direction as the body portion, but at a greater angle with the base member, said brace being located between the base member and the body portion, and the free end of the brace being bent toward the body portion to form a curved bearing portion in longitudinal sliding engagement with the base member.

1. An arch support for footwear, comprising a supporting spring having a. base mem ber bent upwardly at one end, an inclined body portion having a spring connection with the other end of said base member, and a brace having a spring connection with the free end of said body portion and inclined downwardly to engage said base member.

5. An arch support for footwear comprising a supporting spring having a base member widening toward one end, an inclined body portion having a spring connection with the other end of said base member, and a brace having a spring connection with the free end of said body portion and inclined downwardly to engage said base member.

6. An arch support for footwear comprising a plate coi'iforming to the shape of a foot, and a supporting spring having a body portion with lateral lugs secured to said plate, and a base member having a spring connection with one end of said body portion and an inclined brace having a spring connection with the other end of said body portion and engaging said base member.

7. An arch support for footwear comprising a plate conforming to the shape of a foot, and a supporting spring having a body portion with lateral lugs secured to said plate, said lugs being notched adjacent to said body portion, a base member having a spring connection with one end of said body portion, and an inclined brace having a spring connection with the other end of said body portion and engaging said, base member.

8. A blank for an arch-supporting spring for footwear, comprising a body portion, a base member located at one end of said body portion and in longitudinal alignment therewith, a brace located at the other end of said body portion and likewise in longitudinal alignment therewith, and securing lugs located at the sides of the body portion.

9. A blank for an arch-supporting spring for footwear, comprising a body portion, a base member located at one end of said body portion and in longitudinal alignment therewith, a brace located at the other end of said body portion and likewise in longitudinal alignment therewith, and securing lugs located at the sides of the body portion, and notched adjacent thereto to facilitate bending said base member and said brace and to increase the spring action.

10. A blank for an arch-supporting spring for footwear, comprising a body portion, a gradually widening base member located at one end of said body portion and in longitudinal alignment therewith, a brace located at the other end of said body portion and likewise in longitudinal alignment therewith, and securing lugs located at the sides of the body portion.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORG MULLER. 

